Jump to content

British & Irish Lions Tour to Oz 2013


Recommended Posts

So, we have the first test kicking off this weekend in Brisbane. Any other Aussies or Brits looking forward to it? personally, this i probably the big Rugby highlight for until the 2015 WC.

Anyway, a light news story to kick the thread (and series) off:

Huge betting ad 'not a good look'

729_wallaby-lions_20130621114645315411-6

Is this the first impression you want tourists to have of Melbourne?

An enormous betting agency advertisement showing a wallaby having sex with a lion has been painted in a field near Tullamarine Airport, designed to be visible to passengers on departing and arriving planes.

The 170-metre-by-90-metre image by online bookmaker Sportsbet, features the slogans "Rooting for the wallabies" with the twitter hashtag #rootingforoz and threatens to reignite a debate about industry standards.

It is designed to drum up business for the bookmaker ahead of the upcoming rugby union series between the Australian Wallabies and the British and Irish Lions. The first test is in Brisbane on Saturday, followed by the second test in Melbourne the following Saturday and the third test in Sydney on July 6.

A spokesman for Sportsbet, Haydn Lane, told Channel Nine that more than one million people would fly over the image, made with non-toxic paint, over the next month.

He defended the ad, saying "what better way to get behind the Wallabies than to create a massive wallaby getting behind a lion?"

But 3AW radio host Neil Mitchell criticised Sportsbet on Friday morning, saying the advertisement "wasn't a good look" and would not make a good first impression for tourists and children landing in Melbourne.

For those unacquainted, "rooting" has a totally different meaning between here and in North America. Root - Australian dictionary.net

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Phew!

Sydney for the decider!

Footy fever: Three-code blockbuster to hit town

Sydney is set to become the sporting capital of the world this month, with the deciding Lions-Wallabies Test and Manchester United's clash with the A-League All Stars bookending the most anticipated State of Origin ever.

Add the NRL grand final rematch between Canterbury and Melbourne and Super Rugby's biggest rivalry between NSW Waratahs and Queensland Reds, and Sydney Olympic Park is set for its busiest period since the 2000 Games.

With the rugby union Test, Origin series decider and ManU game all virtual 82,000-plus sell-outs, officials are increasing the capacity of the ground to 84,000 for all three events.

It's estimated more than 334,000 fans will pass through the ANZ Stadium turnstiles this month.

Advertisement

The value of the events to the NSW economy is estimated to be about $50 million, with more than 25,000 supporters following the Lions tour and Manchester United expected to more than quadruple the state government's $3 million investment to bring them here.

The festival of football, which kicks off on Saturday with the third Test between Australia and the British and Irish Lions, follows two other massive events at ANZ Stadium in recent weeks - Origin I and the Socceroos World Cup-qualifying defeat of Iraq.

The next weekend the Waratahs host the Reds and last season's NRL grand finalists Canterbury and Melbourne clash at ANZ.

Origin III will be played on July 17 - three days before Manchester United takes on the A-League All Stars.

Sydney Morning Herald

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:) Lions tours seem to have lost that sparkle they once had...Also, thanks to the RWC, the what is now 12 year cycle share for SA, Aus and NZ make it a very rare event...NZ has to wait until 2017!

Also big announcement of the adjusted international program will pretty much merge the Northern - Southern seasons for the BIG money games, bookending each. Making Lions tours either rarer or more frequent...I'm hoping for the latter.

There is something special about a Lions tour though. Brings a different tour crowd. I don't know if it is as big in Australia with three oval ball codes going all at once (Sydney is going to be mayhem this weekend), but here in NZ it really does stab an adrenaline shot to the economy and the 2005 tour helped NZs bid for 2011.

What I'd like to see is at least one of the Pacific nations play a match while the Lions pass by. :rolleyes:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think because Warren Gatlan is coaching the Lions, there is slightly more interest above zero here in NZ...

More looking forward to the Rugby Champs later this month.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:huh::)

NZRU Already in the early stages of planning for the 2017 Lions Tour...including getting consent to take Eden Park up to 60k as they did for the RWC.

A HUGE carrot has been dangled in front of Christchurch to get either the old AMI Lancaster Park (which now can be rebuilt) or the new inner city fully covered stadium built in time for the tour.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was supporting Australia during this tour for the fact that in the British and Lions team there was no Scottish players playing in any of the three tests, in fact no Scottish players have played in lions tour game since 2001.

Unrepresentative, so they lost my support and i gave it to the Wallabies.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm sure there were some Scottish players better than some of the other nationalities that played.

For a nation of just over 5 million people we do pretty well in other sports, including Tennis, Cycling, Curling and Golf

The Curling team is different because they are a small part of the wider GBR Olympic team that is represented by all nations of the UK. In the culing world championships they represent Scotland, that is fine because it says what it does on the tin so to speak.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Diddums.

Maybe if Scotland were any good, y'know! Don't coaches pick their best players?

The GBR Olympic curling team never has any English players! :mellow:

Clearly, Gatland was using the best combination ever for a Lions squad that night? If that meant loading the side with white and red jerseys, so be it. The All Blacks would've struggled through as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How would you feel Alex, if there was a team representing the four southern hemisphere nations : Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa and for 12 years no Kiwi had played in the team.

I am sure you would have something to say about that

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How would you feel Alex, if there was a team representing the four southern hemisphere nations : Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa and for 12 years no Kiwi had played in the team.

I am sure you would have something to say about that

A - a team would never exist

B - New Zealand doesn't need to hang on to the jerseys of others to obtain glory in rugby...

C - New Zealand Rugby isn't at the bottom of the heap.

England and Wales had the strongest players for this tour...And if you didn't notice, Warren Gatland was criticized for loading the side for what is now a famous final and series winning test match...what ever it takes to win.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Urrggghhh......I'd have absolutely no problem if you showed no personal interest in the test because of the team selection. But actively supporting the other side because Scottish players aren't good enough at the moment is what annoys me. Sorry.

Don't you reckon it'd be FAVOURING Scotland if Gatland were to pick a Scottish player over an English or Welsh one he felt was superior? What you're actually asking for is special treatment in some ways, with the threat of supporting the Aussies if your players don't get in.

Perhaps it's time Scotland looked at why it's not getting players into the team instead.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rob, I wonder if the aforementioned complainant was strutting around Wellington yesterday reminding everyone that Andy Murray is Scottish! Even though he was playing as the UK representitive? Me think so...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Murray is Scottish though! No reminder needed. It's only American journalists in post-match press conferences who seem to get that one wrong (and Murray himself quickly puts them right when they call him an Englishman) :)

I'll always support British teams and players. Murray, the Lions, Scotland if they qualify for a World Cup and aren't playing England get my support, GB football team...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:) 'We in NZ support underdogs, if we're not playing them. Hence Scotland getting support here...I think Scotguy was saddened that no Scot player was chosen for the final, fatal test...because Gatland chose on merit and what is now proven to be blinding performance, not nationality, but in saying that every Lions player can hold their heads up high this year.

And we all know Andy Murray is Scottish! and getting global wall to wall coverage with millions of pounds to boot. At least party over that!!!


...as for Football, well I've always barracked for England in the FifaWC, and the other home sides that make it in. (Never Aussie)

Looking forward to the first Ashes Test tonight...backing England of course.. ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...